The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-01-07
WRECK OF 7HB 'MODOC." /"
A BOSTON & ALBANY TRAIN
SMASHED NEAR SPRINGFIELD.
SEVERAL OF THE CARS TAKE FIRE
AND ARE CONsUMED.
One Person Killed and Fifteen Wounded
"A Large Amount of Aiol Matter De-
stroyed-A Wheel Running or the
Track for Four Miles.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass, Jan. 5-A frightfu
railroad accident occurred yesterday on th
Boston & Albany railroad at Mittineague
in which one man was killed and fifJeel
persons Were injured, four badly, but no
fatally. The "Modoc'' express from AL
bany, jumped i the track zoo yard
above the Mitti:ieague depot and ran into {
freight trai.. on siding, wrecking tn,
freigtcca cars the baggage and mail car, thu
smoking car, passenger and also a freight
engine. The express made up OF tn,
wrecked cars, engine vs., Boston a. Albany
express car Attached to the engine and un
injured, and two sleepers, tue New York
Central car Elberon. Wagner sleeper Tus
carora, and through Car from Chicago
was delayed an hour at Albany waiting fol
snow-bound trains. 1t was driven at full
speed to make UP for lost time.
Rounding the curve and coming down tc
the Mittineague station, before Southworth'i
mill was reached, wheel on the truck OF
the forward car, the baggage car, broke.
A few yards beyond q siding opens south
Of the track. The broken wheel caught in
the guard rail and threw the cars on that
side track. A few rods down in front of
the Agawam Canal company's building
loaded freight cars were standing. The
forward coaches struck these with violence.
They were thrown from the track over ON
their sides and the coaches piled in wreck.
The shock threw the baggage and mail car
off to the other side, where it crashed broad
side into the engine of the early morning
local freight, which had just come in ami
come to a stop at the depot. The express
engine did not leave its track but was
cleared and ran on The air-brakes were
put on to the sleepers and stopped them
without damage or injury to the passengers
beyond a severe jostling
The wrecked cars caught fire like fash.
The frightened passengers in the smoker
and regular coach dragged themselves out
through broAen windows as best they could.
Few knew how they escaped. The bag
gage master had a race with the fire to get
out. He escaped with bruises. The car
burned flercely. The baggage and mail
car, which had complefsly ~ Se0lesd the.
freight engine, burned to cinders The
mail, two or three tons Of it, usually car.
ried in closed pouches, was badly burned,
ana but little, and that charred, was saved,
Th, dead aud wounded Two bodies,
burned beyond all recognition, were dug up
out of the charred debris of tile wreck, and
SO far as known at least fifteen. and proY-
ably twenty persons were found to be
wounded, two or three being seriously hurt.
Dne OF the burned stumps is supposed to b
the body of Mr.. jerks, husband of Mrs. j.
M. jerks, formerly Of this city. now of
Troy, N. Y, who recently died and was
being taken to Ludlow for burial 1t was
dug out of big heap of cinders and burned
mail matter. "A second body was TAX, n
from the ruins of the smoking car, directly
behind the baggage car 1t is burned into
an nr.cognixaple mass of flesh and bones.
and ut present has not been identified, but
is thought from cap found near, marked
~. ST." to be that Of a soldier known to
have b. en- aboard the train, aud who has
not yet been seen.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, Jan. 5.-[Later dis
patch THE cause Of the accident seems no
longer to be matter Of doubt or speculation
1t has ell found that q wheel, probably
Il 70 rear one on the hreman's side Of the
telder, 4eft ths track four miles back of the
q ;cident, ami ran along on the inside Of
the rail, cutting the ties, biting of the
b .ads OF the rail spikes and fshplate bolts
by the bushel, till the Mittineague
yard was reached. Here the engine safely
crt ssed the switch, but the vagrant wheel
struck the switch guard with such force as
t. burst out the journal and box on the op-
pc site or engineers side of the tender, and
the tracks wire spread and torn up. The
loss to the road for its burned rolling stock
and engine Is estimated at about S4O 600